Wembley is no happy home for England

WEMBLEY has not always been England’s salvation.

Rewind six years and remember the sight of Slaven Bilic cavorting on the pitch with his Croatia squad as Steve McClaren was left a sodden mess and with the sack beckoning in the morning.

Go further back and there were the heroics of Poland’s Jan Tomaszewski as England’s misery was compounded on home soil by a goalkeeper dubbed “a clown” as qualification for the World Cup in 1974 lay in ruins.

So as Roy Hodgson’s squad bade a painful retreat from Podgorica on Tuesday after a gruesome second-half display which provided Montenegro with a route back into a contest that should have been pushed beyond their reach, the pretence everything will ultimately be all right on the night rang hollow.

“If we win all the games now, we finish top of the group and nothing can be said,” said goalkeeper Joe Hart with a confidence which belies the seriousness of the predicament.

But that is what England have been reduced to: ifs, buts and maybes in a group that should not have resulted in such mass confusion.

It is an unhappy coincidence that almost exactly 40 years on from Tomaszewski’s cameo on October 17, 1973, Poland will find themselves back at Wembley when another England coach is likely to find himself confronted by a match on which hopes of progressing to a tournament will rest.

Kevin Keegan also saw his England reign come to an end after a defeat at Wembley to Germany

England vave won just two of their last five competitive games at Wembley

The sequence of games which reads Moldova (h), Ukraine (a), Montenegro (h) and Poland (h) was supposed to map the path for a procession to Brazil, though it feels less appealing today with points having been frittered away given how restless the natives at Wembley can be when the prescribed plan is not adhered to.

The trip to Ukraine looks hazardous enough, but it does not take a leap of faith to imagine the atmosphere for the rematch with Branko Brnovic’s Montenegro if England struggle to exert their superiority once again. Fabio Capello forever spoke about the ‘fear factor’ associated with playing at the £757 million venue, and the concern is that while the new Wembley is not an obvious source of weakness – England have only ever lost one competitive match there, the 3-2 defeat by Croatia that dashed hopes of reaching Euro 2008 – neither is it a bastion of invincibility.

England may have won six of their last eight home matches, including landmark victories over Spain and Brazil, but it is also seven from 13 with defeats by France and Holland and draws with Montenegro, Ghana, Switzerland and Ukraine.

More pertinent is the fact they have won just two of their last five competitive games at Wembley, Wales and Moldova, with costly draws against Montenegro, Switzerland and Ukraine. There is no margin for error now and for a succession of England players to speak about winning the next four games reeks of kidology. The reality is Hodgson has overseen victories over only Moldova and San Marino thus far.

“But it’s not a defeat and we can still get through and qualify if we win all our games,” said James Milner as he left the City Stadium.

“We’re at home, familiar surroundings, Wembley, our home pitch, so hopefully we can win our remaining games and qualify. It’s still in our hands and it’s not a problem.”

Tomaszewski stuns England in 1973 by pulling off a number of world-class saves to see the hosts off

England missed Jack Wilshere more than Rio Ferdinand against Montenegro and the manager was at a loss to explain how a midfield, with Steven Gerrard and Michael Carrick so dominant before the break when Wayne Rooney’s goal yielded reward for an impressive start, lost its way. “It’s a good question,” said Hodgson. “I suppose you are referring to the fact we played better in the first half than the second. I suppose the simple answer is they’re human beings, not robots.

“These things happen in football. It’s a relevant question, probably a very good question, but I think you understand I don’t have a clear answer to it.”

Yet the need for Wilshere to come in and flick the switch for England should not be so acute. After all, he has played just one game for Hodgson, admittedly an impressive one against Brazil last month, and his latest injury setback fuels fears his career will never be free from the stresses and strains that have so far plagued his talents.

A 1-0 success over Hungary back in 1981, courtesy of Paul Mariner’s 14th-minute goal, was the last time England prevailed in a must-win game at Wembley to reach a major finals, a landmark that remains partly in place by the switch to playing at Old Trafford when the national stadium was being rebuilt.

Hodgson must hope for a repeat of that outcome rather than another stunning show from one of Tomaszweski’s successors.

ENGLAND NIGHTMARES AT WEMBLEY

November 21, 2007: England 2 Croatia 3

Steve McClaren was dubbed the "wally with a brolly" after seeing England lose to Croatia - which meant they failed to qualify for Euro 2008. Defeat cost the coach his job.

October 8, 2000: England 0 Germany 1

Kevin Keegan quit as manager after seeing England lose their last match at the old Wembley - against Germany - in a qualifi er for the World Cup 2002. Dietmar Hamann scored the only goal.

November 13, 1999: England 0 Scotland 1

England lose to Scotland in the second leg of a Euro 2000 qualifi er after Don Hutchinson's goal. Luckily for Keegan's side, they had won 2-0 at Hampden Park and so progressed 2-1.

February 13, 1997: England 0 Italy 1

England lose their first World Cup qualifi er at home in their history, as Gianfranco Zola hits the winner.

October 17, 1973: England 1 Poland 1

England failed to qualify for a World Cup for the first time as Poland's goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski, dubbed a clown for a series of madcap antics, pulled off a number of world-class saves.